After yesterday’s article, we can talk about things that the next generation consoles actually need. This is a list of console and company policies that the big three developers ought to follow if they want to get this generation right and compete with their unexpected phone and tablet rivals.
5. Better Motion Control Support
I don’t think motion controls should be the emphasis, but if you think about it, a lot of the technology behind current motion controls is amazing and could use some better games. Recycling the Kinect, PS Move, and Wiimote allows them to gain new, better games. As it stands, the only decent game for the PS Move is Sorcery, and the Kinect is stuck with a bunch of arcade shooters because no one’s figured out a decent way to move characters through motion controls. Seeing actual games for all of these in the next generation would be nice. It wouldn’t be good as a focus—normal controls are the standard for a reason: everyone is most comfortable with regular controllers. However, continuing to support the old motion controls and explore their potential would be nice.
4. Backwards Compatibility
Backwards Compatibility is always an issue in new machines, since it determines whether a gamer can even use his collection of old games by trading them in. Keeping that compatibility in throughout all incarnations of the system would also be nice—it’s actually cheaper to get a PS2 and PS3 than a PS3 with PS2 compatibility, since they removed it after a few years, and warranties no longer cover old systems. Being able to use old controllers is also a bonus, especially for families who would have multiple people playing all the time.
3. Decent Internet Browser
I don’t think Internet Explorer 8 should be included in the next gen, per se. I think any Internet browser will do—so long as it browses without lagging. Trying to watch a youtube video on the PS3 is a horrendous experience, even with the quality set to low. This generation has generally low amounts of RAM compared to PCs, so a boost would allow better internet browsing and video streaming. If next gen consoles could accomplish this, players would be free to use Youtube or Hulu for their videos, rather than paying for some kind of streaming service that would come with the console.
2. Skype or Live Chat
The next generation should have live chat between friends or players, regardless of what game they’re playing. XBOX already has this, and the PS Vita already has this to a degree. The exact extent of the Wii U’s chat system is still unknown, although we see that at least video chat is available. With multiplayer slowly taking over the gaming scene, real-time voice chat is becoming a necessity. At least slight moderation of voice chat would also be useful for the next generation—while it might be difficult to enforce, it would at least deter people from turning chat rooms into a cesspool of racism and sexism.
1. Huge Third Party and Indie Support
While iPhones certainly did revolutionize phones, they also revolutionized gaming. With a huge amount of games in the app store, all for an affordable price, the app store took off and the indie game industry instantly grew into what it is today. Having a console with a similar system would do wonders for indie gaming—can you imagine actually getting affordable high-profile games? While PSN and XBOX Live Arcade both offer an assortment of games through their networks, Nintendo has fallen short this generation. A continued or emphasized effort on small indie games would do wonders for next generation game development. Hopefully the next generation will have fewer contracts required for XBLA games in particular, and allow for more multi-platform releases.
And that concludes the two-part series! You can read the first part of the series here. Let us know in the comments what you want to see in the next generation!
this article reads like the wishlist of an 8year-old for santa claus 😛
these are all wishes from a consumer’s perspective. but the developper’s perspective is something totally different. for example, sony removed backwards compatibility because no one would have bought their hd-collections of old ps2 games.
there is only one mediocre move-game out there because the industry has no time to adapt to new features that are cost-intensive to produce. the vast majority of gamedeveloppers just have got no resources to let their programmers “get the hang” of the new tech. and as the wii proved: people are buying it anyway. so why try harder? because some random article writers feel like this is the wrong approach? well… 😉
of course everyone wants free games and stuff and the best effort by every developper, but the truth is: it is a business. the intention is to create income NOT providing stuff that kids around the world have got something nice to play. the intention is providing games that do not eat up too much resurces when developping. this rule stands over every other rule there is in the business. hence so many low efforts out there.
a little reality-check then and when would be nice, internet-authors around the world.
“for example, sony removed backwards compatibility because no one would have bought their hd-collections of old ps2 games.”
No they didn’t, they did it because they wanted to slow down production of the old PS2 CPUs and CPUs they had to sling inside the backward compatible PS3 systems. Bear in mind it’s individual developers who decide to re-release PS2 titles, Sony can’t order them to, so it’s very unlikely that had anything to do with it.
Then Microsoft has already won going by this list!
Backwards compatibility is a terrible idea if it means go past more than one generation and including all past generations. what happens the next gen, one the one after that, or even then one after that? Do you really even play games from those generations that often? If you do just keep your old system. Backwards compatibility isnt just a simple gut swap into a new skeleton. i would rather developers spend more time developing and further perfecting next gen consoles and other features. go right ahead a call me crazy and stupid. i have all my old consoles and when even i want to play a game, i am not so lazy that i just cant set the respective console up. today’s gamers are to whinny and complain why to much. they want the newest biggest best toy with more features than they will ever use with free online play and blu-ray and all for free. gaming is going down hill as a whole because those that partake of them have not matured and understood that the industry goes beyond games and gamers.
I feel that gamers are entitled to Backwards compatability on PS4, and Xbox 720. Why cause for PS4 i’d like to be able to play my old PS1 Squaresoft RPG’s, and many of my PS2 games. Heck just make PS4 region free for PS1, and PS2. That way I can stop using Swap magic to play my bought PS2 imports.
“Keeping that compatibility in throughout all incarnations of the system would also be nice—it’s actually cheaper to get a PS2 and PS3 than a PS3 with PS2 compatibility, since they removed it after a few years, and warranties no longer cover old systems.”
The problem was that in order to do the backwards compatibility they had to actually put a PS2 inside the PS3, or rather the GPU and CPU (it was the same with the Genesis / Mega Drive, which had the main chips of a Master System inside it). Sadly it doesn’t make much business sense to keep operating production lines making three types of processor for one console, particularly when the target audience for doing that should already have an existing console that plays the old titles natively.
“Trying to watch a youtube video on the PS3 is a horrendous experience, even with the quality set to low.”
It’s kinda pointless, though, since that’s why you have a PC; who on earth has a broadband internet contract but only a console running off it?